In the works since 2014, as we first reported at the time, the public hearing for the proposed four-story development to rise across the former Blockbuster parcel at 2444 Lombard Street, which is currently occupied by Wolf & Lion, will be held in three weeks time.

While the original proposal had envisioned 53 condos over 11,000 square feet of retail space and a garage for 53 cars, the revised plans for the site now call for 41 condos over 3,343 square feet of retail (which is roughly a third the size of Wolk & Lion) and a garage for 41 cars.

But we’ll also note that the building permits for the proposed project have yet to be requested which suggests an anticipated delay of any ground breaking in the near-term.

This is the architectural cohort of everything else emblematic of the disparity between the north end of town and the south. The other side of the light rail tracks, as it were. Its low profile, modernist, well designed out of good materials with a real fit and finish that won’t look sad in ten years. And people are complaining. Reminds me of how often I’ve seen SFPD wrangle the most nondescript vagrants ever in Pac Heights. Meanwhile here on the other side of town, where DIFI doesn’t live, they are jamming in huge ugly boxes that ruin views and will look like a pair of weathered jeans from Old Navy in a few years. And of course, we have the hottest meth-mess & bike chop shop and heroin slinging tent camps this side of DTLA… and not a peep from City Hall.

Of course, the solution for high commercial rents is for commercial landlords to lower their asking lease rates instead of letting commercial properties sit there vacant for years on end. When the property is successfully leased, that by definition is the market price.

And you’re wrong that Pet Food Express would have made a lot of sense, seeing as how there was already a Pet Food Express about a mile away from this location on the 3100 block of California when the application referred to in the editor’s last paragraph above was denied.